CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
THEY HAD THE rest of the day to check the other banks again. The managers insisted they didn’t have enough cash on hand at any time to satisfy the kind of gang Matt and the others were talking about.
“You’re more likely to find them robbing the Beaumont,” one of them said.
“Yeah, that’s what we figure,” Sheriff Friday said. “We just didn’t wanna take any chances.”
By five in the afternoon, Tom Friday was satisfied that no suspicious characters had been seen at the smaller banks. Matt was still uncomfortable about it but couldn’t argue. If he’d been wrong all along and the gang planning to rob the Beaumont Bank wasn’t led by Jason Pardee, he didn’t know what his next move would be. For now, though, he had to see this through. If it didn’t help him, at least it would do Sheriff Friday some good. Matt liked the idea of helping another old-timer get his life back on track.
“Okay,” Friday said as they left the last bank, “we’d better get ourselves set up at the Beaumont. It’s almost closin’ time.”
They picked up Pepper and Banjo at the sheriff’s office and headed for the bank.
AS DUSK FELL, Friday sent Pepper off to the left of the front door and Banjo to the right. He and Matt stayed just across the street.
After several people—including one security guard—left the bank, Banjo moved on down to the window to look in, then waved and went back to his position.
“No more customers,” Friday said. “That leaves Cameron, a security guard, and Ed.”
“Does Ed know not to try to take them himself once they’re inside?” Matt asked.
“He knows,” Friday said. “He’s an experienced man.”
“All right, then,” Matt said. “Let’s see how the gang is going to play this.”
IT WAS COMPLETELY dark when a couple of men appeared. The foot traffic on the street had thinned out to a trickle as other businesses in the area closed. These two men crept along the front of the bank, looking over their shoulders until they reached the door. One of them knocked, and then the door opened to admit them.
“Whataya think?” Friday asked.
“That’s two,” Matt said. “There’ve got to be more. I say we wait.”
“Let’s hope Ed waits, too,” Friday said.
“You said he would.”
“Anybody can get antsy,” Friday said, “but I think he’ll wait, like we said, for them to start leavin’ the bank.”
“Now we’ve just got to hope Cameron keeps his nerve,” Matt said.
They continued to watch, and sure enough, other men crept along the front of the bank and then slipped inside.
“That’s six,” Friday said. “How many more do they think they’ll need?”
“They’re going to have to post somebody outside to watch,” Matt said. “That’ll be the last one.”
“Good thinkin’,” Friday said. “Have you seen Pardee?”
“The streetlights don’t reach the front door,” Matt said. “I haven’t recognized him yet.”
“Think he changed that much?”
“I don’t know,” Matt said. “I know I’ve changed a lot, and I only saw him that one day.”
“Aw right,” Friday said, “we’ll know after we grab ’em.”
A seventh man moved along the front of the bank, knocked but didn’t go in.
“There’s the lookout,” Matt said.
“They should be comin’ out soon,” Friday said. “Let’s get ready. If we hear any shots from inside, we’re gonna have to move fast.”
“Like you said,” Matt commented, “let’s hope nobody loses their nerve.”
“They got us outnumbered seven to five,” Friday said. “Let’s hope the element of surprise evens things up.”
“Don’t forget the security guard,” Matt said.
“Yeah, but after what you said about Pardee bein’ the security guard in that Fairview bank all those years ago,” Friday said, “we can’t be sure which side he’s on, can we?”
“No, we can’t.”
Matt and Friday both drew their guns and waited.
WE GOTTA GET closer,” Friday said about ten minutes later. He waved at Pepper.
“What are you doing?” Matt asked.
“I want Pepper to take that fella out, and then we can move closer.”
Matt saw Pepper look around the side of the building, then start walking toward the door. The man on watch had no reason to believe he was anything but a passing pedestrian. But when Pepper reached the lookout, the big, beefy Irishman clubbed him with a big fist and dragged him back around to his side of the building.
“Okay,” Friday said. “Let’s go.”
He and Matt broke from their doorway and crossed the street, pausing to let a buckboard pass by. The driver glared at them but kept going.
Friday and Matt kept checking both ways as well as up at windows and rooftops for other lookouts.
“I would’ve put a man on the roof,” Matt commented, “maybe two.”
“They’ve probably scouted the area well,” Friday said. “It’s mostly businesses that are closed after six. Not much in the way of any kind of activity.”
When they reached the bank side of the street, they risked a look through the window. There were several men with their guns out, the bank manager with his hands up, and a dark-clad man—probably the security guard—prone on the floor.
“I hope he’s not dead,” Matt whispered.
“They should be comin’ out soon,” Friday said. “I’ll go over by Pepper. You get over with Banjo. We’ll get ’em in a cross fire.”
“Right,” Matt said.
He ran to the other side and stood next to Banjo, told him what they had seen inside.
“Where’s Rivers?” Banjo asked.
“We didn’t see him,” Matt said. “Hopefully, he’s hidden somewhere.”
Suddenly the bank door flew open. Two men stepped out, each carrying a bag.
Matt ducked back, heard one say, “Where the hell’s Peters?” The two men were looking around them.
“He’s supposed to be on lookout,” one said.
“This ain’t right,” the other said.
The two men turned as if they were going to go back inside the bank.
“Boland,” one called, “Peters ain’t here.”
At that point Sheriff Friday stepped out with Pepper behind him. Too soon, Matt thought, but he had to back the man’s play, so he and Banjo did the same.
“Hold it right there!” Friday shouted.
The two men’s heads swiveled back and forth quickly as they tried to assess what was happening.
They had two options. They could duck back into the bank or go for their guns.
They went for their guns.
“Damn!” Matt swore, and pointed his.
One man faced Friday and Pepper while the other turned to Matt and Banjo. As they all began firing, Matt had no idea if the lead whizzing past him was from the bank robbers or cross fire from Friday and Pepper.
“Get down!” he told Banjo.
They both dropped to a knee and kept firing. The two bank robbers began to jerk and dance as lead struck them repeatedly. As they went down, Matt and the others rushed for the bank door. At that moment, just before they would’ve rushed in, there were shots from inside. Two bullets punched into Banjo’s chest, driving him back against Matt, who caught him and lowered him to the ground. At the same time Pepper cried out in pain as blood spouted from his left arm.
“Goddamn it!” Friday yelled. “Down!”
Matt dragged Banjo to the right while Friday helped Pepper to the left of the door.
“How is he?” Friday asked.
Matt looked down at Banjo’s prone form. “He’s dead,” Matt said.
He saw the pain on Tom Friday’s face and knew just how he felt.